Mat Cats outscore Bulldogs, lose to Polson, Ronan

By JOE SOVA / Hungry Horse News

Michael Hader, Kelly Houle, Nick Toavs, Shawn Whitman and Clayton Patterson wrestled to wins, leading Columbia Falls to a 43-27 victory over rival Whitefish in a Northwestern A Conference dual during Senior Night on Saturday at CFHS.

Polson made it a sweep the Mat Cats in league duals this season with a 45-34 win earlier in the day.

The Mat Cats were outscored by fourth-ranked Ronan 52-21 on Tuesday in Ronan.

In the CFHS-Whitefish dual, five Bulldogs posted wins. The difference was that Sal Baccaro, Cody Edstrom and Hunter Fishel each picked up a forfeit win for the Mat Cats. Both teams were open at two weights.

Patterson and Phillip Murphy engaged in one of the most exciting matches of the dual at 125 pounds. Trailing 7-6, Patterson reclaimed the lead with a near fall early in the third period. Murphy scored on a reversal, but Patterson came right back to finish strong. He took the lead on a reversal and added a three-point near fall for a 13-9 decision.

Whitman (130) shut out Dalton Rice in an 8-0 major decision, then Toavs (135) went out aggressively and pinned Erick Hanson in 1:25 for a 31-9 Mat Cats lead.

"When he knows he can win the match he's tough," Mat Cats head coach Jessie Schaeffer said of Toavs, just a freshman. "He's making some mistakes on being aggressive. He has to get the aggressive and technical parts working together."

The 215-pound match to start the dual went down to the final seconds. Mat Cat Kodie Kenfield scored on a takedown with just four seconds to go, but Jake Scheel grabbed a 6-5 win with a reversal - right at the final buzzer.

Cody Kolodejchuk (140) was within two points of Matt Starr, coming back from a 9-3 deficit, but the Bulldog won by fall with 17 seconds left in the match.

Later in the dual, Hader (152) overpowered Tanner Benedict, pinning him in 1:02. That gave the Mat Cats a 37-21 lead, sealing the dual.

In the last match, Houle beat Derek Crittendon for the second time this season, pinning the Bulldog in 3:35.

"We lost a couple of key matches," Schaeffer said.

Kenfield, Baccaro, Patterson, Kolodejchuk and Hader earned wins against Polson opponents. Houle and Bryce Arneson (275) got forfeit wins.

Kenfield (215) went out strong against Skylar Knutson, pinning him in 1:11. Bacarro (98) stuck Dakotah Jensen to the mat in 1:24. Patterson scored six points in the final period for a 6-2 decision over Randy Kelley.

Kolodejchuk took an 11-3 major decision over Ty Fouty. That avenged a loss to the Pirate earlier this season.

Hader decisioned Sheldon Fisher, 8-2.

"We had some highlights and disappointments," Schaeffer said of the Ronan dual. "They're by far the best team in our conference."

Baccaro, Kolodejchuk, Gross, Hader and Kenfield picked up wins. Gross and Hader won by fall, and Baccaro, Kolodejchuk and Kenfield earned decisions.

Schaeffer said Gross earned a "big win," and singled out Bacarro for his effort.

"It was fun to see him get his hand raised at the end of the match," the coach said of Bacarro, who won, 2-0.

The Mat Cats wrestle at Libby on Thursday, then host a Northwestern A Conference jamboree on Saturday, starting at 9 a.m.

Polson 45, Columbia Falls 34

98 - Sal Baccaro (CF) pinned Dakotah Jensen, 1:24. 105 - Jesse Alfiero (P) pinned Cody Edstrom, :44. 112 - Shawn Medland (P) pinned Hunter Fishel, 2:59. 119 - Clayton Patterson (CF) dec. Randy Kelley, 6-2. 125 - Jacob Browne (P) pinned Jacob Hader, 3:39. 130 - Keio Salmonson (P) dec. Shawn Whitman, 7-4. 135 - Shane Ludwick (P) pinned Nick Toavs, 1:24. 140 - Cody Kolodejchuk (CF) maj. dec. Ty Fouty, 8-3. 145 - Logan Torgison (P) pinned Joe Gross, 3:20. 152 - Michael Hader (CF) dec. Sheldon Fisher, 8-2. 160 - Brock Picard (P) pinned Trevor Miller, 2:35. 171 - Rylee Duford (P) forfeit win. 189 - Kelly Houle (CF) forfeit win. 215 - Kodie Kenfield (CF) pinned Skylar Knutson, 1:11. 275 - Bryce Arneson (CF) forfeit win.

Columbia Falls 43, Whitefish 27

98 - Bacarro (CF) forfeit win. 105 - Edstrom (CF) forfeit win. 112 - Fishel (CF) forfeit win. 119 - Both open. 125 - Patterson (CF) dec. Phillip Murphy, 13-9. 130 - Whitman (CF) maj. dec. Dalton Rice, 8-0. 135 - Toavs (CF) pinned Erick Hanson, 1:25. 140 - Matt Starr (WF) pinned Kolodejchuk, 5:43. 145 - Cody Morris (WF) pinned Joe Gross, 5:11. 152 - M. Hader (CF) pinned Tanner Benedict, 1:02. 160 - Caleb Prestgaard (WF) pinned Miller, 3:59. 171 - Both open. 189 - Houle (CF) pinned Derek Crittendon, 3:35. 215 - Jake Scheel (WF) dec. Kenfield, 6-5. 275 - Kevin McDowell (WF) pinned Arneson, 3:17.